Tuesday, June 19, 2012

In what has been Ireland’s worst
performance in an international tournament in forty years there will be a load
of blogs, articles and comments blasting Trap, the players, the system and the
FAI. But rather than go down the easy route and joining in the chorus of
negativity I have decided to look forward with a bit of positivity. I am going
to take a leaf out of Eamon Dunphy’s book and take this opportunity to look
forward to the future. We have a chance now to issue in a new exciting
generation of Irish players.

So here are Irish players that I believe
will be fighting for a place on the Ireland team of the future.

In goals is one position where we
are not overburdened with choice. And although
Poland/ Ukraine was not his greatest hour I do believe that Shay Given still
has something to offer Ireland. Shay may be getting on but he still a top class
goalkeeper and can help ease the handover of the gloves to the next man. Kieran
Westwood looks likely to be that man if he can get out of the shadow Simon
Mignolet at Sunderland. David Forde of Millwall is looking likely to be the
second choice but will be pushed hard by Portsmouth’s Stephen Henderson. Either
of these three could be the number one for Ireland so it will be interesting to
see who will step forward.

Across the back there are a
number of players who I could see filling roles. Marc Tierney for Norwich had
an excellent season last year and it will be good to see how he gets on this
year. Tierney plays left back but has been known to fill in at centre back.
Greg Cunningham, Ciaran Clarke, and Shane Duffy have been talked up for a few
years now so this upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign will be a great
opportunity to blood all three. From the current squad players like Sean st
Ledger, Kevin Foley and John O’Shea would offer experience and good cover if
needed. Marc Wilson who seemed to fall foul of the present management is a
decent player who is a great option at left back and should be integrated into
the squad.

Midfield is an area where Ireland
have had problems in the past but looking closer there are some seriously
exciting and talented players who would be more than at home on the
international stage. Dunphy mentioned two other Norwich players Wes Hoolahan
and Anthony Pilkington as potential stars for Ireland in the future. The stats
this year for the much lauded rising star of Irish football, James McClean,
were that he played twenty three premier league games scored six goals and set
up five. Pilkington played thirty games, scored eight goals and set up one.
Hoolahan played thirty three games, scored five goals and had eight assists.
The three mentioned players were far and beyond the best performing Irish
players in the Premier League last year. With established players such as Keith
Fahy, Darren Gibson and Aidan McGeady coupled with real potential in youngsters
such as David Meyler, Jamie McCarthy, Seamus Coleman and Manchester United’s
rising star, Robbie Brady; Ireland actually have seriously top-class players
who will be competing for places. I would still love to add Stephen Ireland’s
name to this list simply because he is a quality player.

Up front Jon Walters has shown that
he has a lot to offer. Long, Doyle and Cox have still got a lot of goals in
them and would offer significant competition for places. If Leon Best could
shake off his injury problems then he could be a real presence for us up front
as he is the type of skilled target man that Ireland has missed for numerous
years.

The future is exciting. We do
have a generation of players coming through to the senior squad that could
offer us entertainment and memories for years to come. Qualification for major
tournaments is a realistic achievement. These lads I have mentioned are skilful,
exciting, energetic and eager. I can honestly say that I believe we are on the
cusp of what might be a very significant time for Irish football.

The question
to be asked now is in what direction are we going to head.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Loyalty in sport and in life is
very important. Loyalty in its simplest form is what keeps people together
through the many testing situations that life can throw at you. In sport
loyalty is shown through the fan who will stick with a team no matter what,
whether they are winning or losing. To those hard-core fans loyalty and love is
the same thing.

Tonight in Gdansk we witnessed
loyalty on a scale not seen very often anywhere never mind in sport. The Irish
fans that had kicked the recession in the teeth to travel to cheer on the boys
in green stood and sung their hearts out for the love of their team. At home,
watching on TV, it was the one that thing kept drawing me back to the screen
and away from the comments on Facebook and Twitter. The singing was loud and
amazing. Those Irish fans over there
were going to enjoy themselves but at the same time they were letting their
team, and the whole world know, that they were backing Ireland to the last.

It makes you feel proud to be Irish
because of that never say die attitude. The chant of You’ll Never Beat The Irish incorporates this more than anything.
It must bewildering and frustrating for people from other nations when they
hear the Irish fans chanting this, especially after getting hammered so badly
as we did tonight. We as a nation love
success but we absolutely revel in the taking of a beating and to stay
standing. We just love getting a hiding
so that we can say to our enemies “is that the best ye got?” More often than not
they look at us and go off shaking their heads, muttering “crazy Irish.” There
will be boys tonight in Gdansk who will shed more than a tear or two for dear
ould Eire but they will be the ones who will jump up and sing loudest, when you
least expect it, a verse from The Green
Fields of France that everyone else had forgotten. In truth everyone had
not even realised that your man was still awake.

The fact is that the Irish are a
very loyal people and that loyalty is even more prevalent when we are down.
That is when a strange sense of Irishness comes out. We love these lads even
more because they got a 4-0 hammering. But unfortunately the truth is that this
was the worst Irish performance ever in a major tournament. We have not lost
this badly in years. The players were outclassed, ill-prepared and made to look
tactically foolish.

Trapattoni has a lot of questions
to answer but will the FAI be brave enough to ask those questions.

Tonight and in fact the whole
Irish trip has belonged to the fans. Thanks to social networking sites and
other online magazine sites we have never before been as close to the Green Army
on Tour as we have been for this tournament. The various antics and craic is
shared nearly instantaneously with the eager public back home. Everything from
the various flags, costumes and songs to Eamonn Keegans “don’t tell me mammy” Croat
breast adventure. The list goes on and the posts that I have seen are really making
me feel part of the experience. One that sticks out is the Thai kids singing Rocky Road to Poland, seemingly there is
a back story to this which if true is just heart-breaking.

The final game against Italy on
Monday is irrelevant so in true Irish fashion we will probably go out and win
that one. Irish fans and people have a lot to be proud of so right now we
should just enjoy what is left of the experience. Like one of the grumpy old
men on RTE said none of our neighbours apart from Engerland have managed to qualify
for a major tournament in over a decade and half. So we should be proud of our
accomplishment in that sense. So get your flags out, don the green garments,
turn up the TV sing out loud and sing out proud one last time YOU’LL NEVER BEAT THE IRISH!

Saturday, June 9, 2012

This summer could well be an
unforgettable experience for the Irish football team and their enigmatic
manager.

In the past, Ireland has had some happy experiences at international
tournaments. As a footballing nation we have always managed to hold our heads
up high and perform well on the pitch. We may not have had teams full of
superstars but we have always gone with plans that have ensured a good standard
of results.

Unfortunately, as much as we do
not like to admit it, as a race we are not naturally flashy flair type
footballers. Irish players are marked by their hard working etiquette, their
ability to do the simple things right, their physicality and a never say die
attitude. Our style of football is harsh, physical and rarely risky. This style
suits Giovanni Trapattoni perfectly. His football philosophy fits in with the
Irish game and makes it work. In truth Trap
has very Irish values when it comes to down to it. He is a strict
disciplinarian, believes in hard work, values the players who are with him the
longest and does not see any player as bigger than the team. You could actually
easily see him managing any GAA club up or down the country. Granted of course
the language barrier might cause a few problems but in fairness I can remember
a few coaches from my time that I could barely understand, and we were supposed
to be speaking the same language. Trap is conservative and not willing to
change no matter how much the media or pundits or bar stoolers rant or rave.
The fact that he has brought James McClean though shows that he is not totally
impregnable.

Being written off or not counted
is the best place for this Irish team. They always play better for against
supposedly bigger and better teams. They will put everything into the next few
days. In truth what more could you ask from these lads.

Right now on the eve of Irelands
opening game of the tournament we must look forward to the next nine days with
hope and anticipation. We have to be positive. The time is now we are in a
great position to really go and show the world what Irish hard work is really
about. We are the lowest of the underdogs in not only our group but also the
whole bloody tournament. This is exactly where we want to be.